Causes: Children & Youth, Youth Development Programs

Mission: The mission of Sail2Change is to improve community equity by empowering our youth through access, opportunity, authentic relationships, and alternative outdoor education.

Results: - (2019) We built our own wilderness backpacking adventure from scratch, taking a group of 13 youth into the Willamette and Deschutes National Forests for eleven nights where they hiked over 40 miles along the Cascade Mountain's lakes. - (2019) In Portland, students spent ten days learning to sail with our partners at Willamette Sailing Club. - (2019) We paired students with a mentor for their school year. - (2019) All of our participants who completed the program told us they want to return with us to be peer mentors! - We planned a program for summer 2020, which we had to drastically scale down, but were able to provide online events, four days of sailing, and a one-day backpacking event for eleven new students and three alumni.

Target demographics: We offer support to high school students with emotional and behavioral complications, truancy, low-academic performance, and students experiencing a disconnection from the traditional school environment.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Students from across the Portland metro area, and despite changes to our programming this year, we are still welcoming in new youth for scaled down events.

Geographic areas served: Greater-Portland, Oregon and Southwest Washington

Programs: Sailing, mentorship, and opportunities to learn about future careers.